CHILDERN GROW UP

The world turns and children grow up. I am seeing my babies turn into little girls. Look at my MJ. She is riding on the stroller the way Sierra used to when she was born. MJ is as old as Sierra was when MJ was born. She is growing up. (Sniff. Sniff.) My friend let me borrow her baby today. I need a little boy. I keep saying it. Isn't he the cutest thing?

Him and MJ were talking on the way to pick up Sierra from school. This is how the conversation went....

MJ: My daddy is going to take me on a boat in the black water and paddle, paddle, paddle.
Kale: My daddy.
MJ: NO, My DADDY.
Kale: My daddy.
MJ: NO, MY DADDY (Yelling)

Later...
MJ: I am going to sing a song. I am going to sing my song, Twinkle little star.
MJ starts to sing.
Kale starts to sing.
MJ gasps. (He wouldn't dare sing my song.)
Kale starts to giggle.
He really is the cutest boy.

BABY AUDRY

Isn't she gorgeous? I got to hold her! I am still so excited. I wanted to keep her, but she had to continue her journey on to Utah. Can you imagine giving birth and moving all in the same week? My sister is a trooper.

SHRIMP DINNER

I typically fry shrimp but Nate wanted something more healthy. I served this over brown rice. It was divine.


Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons red wine
1 teaspoon of white vinager
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions
1.In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce, red wine, and vinegar. Season with basil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add shrimp to the bowl, and stir until evenly coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice.

2.Place olive oil in the skillet. Toss in shrimp and mixture. Toss until shrimp are pink. Then serve over brown rice. Yummy.

CHILD's PLAY

Today was the first day walking next to this bush since school let out last year and we had to do the traditional collecting of buds. Sierra picked a handful and put them in the stoller. I am not sure why they have to come home with us. Once we walk through the door the buds collected are forgotten and I am just stuck cleaning out the stoller the next day. I tell her not to, but she disreguards me and continues as if it is a chore she must complete.There is something magical about it, that is meant for children only and is not meant to be understood by an adult, especially not a tidy one.
The fisherman was gone to the Black Canyon today. He looked tired as he walked through the door. Hopefully, he got some much needed man time on the crystal clear waters there.

CRACKERS & JAM

Crackers and jam are a favorite snack at the farm. It really isn't anything I would have ever thought would be good together. Sister K handed me one the first time we spent an extended amount of time there. I took it graciously but I thought, what an odd thing, to put jam on a cracker. However, it is so incredibly yummy. Today she brought out fresh cherry jam and handed my a package of crackers. I am certain I cleared off half a stack of crackers on my own. The jam was so incredibly yummy.
Sister K. tossed the chickens some crackers. They rushed through the farm like a great wind, moving like they were one solitary mass. Mr. Pantaloons (see the rooster to the right.) is the leader of the mass. They began to peck at the ground eating up small crumbs. Brother C. glanced at them, calling them the Mexican Maffia with a broad smile across his face. Brother Bob is Sister K's father, and tends to a plot of land on Sister K's farm. He is the dearest old man. He could be my grandfather. He teaches us so many things. On Saturday, I got a timid phone call from his wife. She said, "Brother Bob came home with a ton of barbie dolls from a garage sale. He thought the girls would like them. I don't know if you allow your girls to play with barbies. Do you? Can you call me back?" How sweet of him to think of my girls. Sweeter still for Brother Bob's wife to be concerned about whether it was appropriate. Thinking about their sweet generosity to my girls tugs at my heart. All the barbies were practically new, and he picked them up a pile of clothing too. So, so sweet. I miss my sweet CC it wasn't the same being at the farm without her. I don't like this all day school thing. (I am making a mad face a very mad face.)

GREY PICTURES

This is what I am talking about people. I finally figured it out.... sigh. Back to blogging. When I updated to the new editor my pictures turned grey. Then I tried down grading it and they were still grey. I updated it again and started looking for a different solution. Today, I downgraded it and it fixed itself. Sigh. I know it is subtle and I am OCD but I am glad it is finally fixed.

FIRST DAY o' SCHOOL

Sierra is now a first grader. She exclaimed today, "I like my new teacher the same as Mrs. Durst." This is a huge compliment because she loved her kindergarten teacher so much. Bailey her friend that lives one street up from us is in her class. I thought it was beyond adorable watching her hold hands with her little friend on the way home.
Now it is just me and MJ. MJ played so contently with her dolls today. I had this major working out goal, which is why in the picture below I am still wearing my sports bra, but it didn't happen. Tomorrow...there is always tomorrow.

MR. SNUGGLE PANTS

FEEDIN' CHICKENS

I and girls went to the farm yesterday.
We found some ripe cherry tomatoes, a ripe cucumber and a couple ripe green peppers and a mammoth size zucchini... I am wondering which ward member will be the new owner of the mammoth. It is a Latter-Day Saint tradition to share those with your neighbors.

Sierra was feeding the goats and cows weeds.
Angel, a really mean nasty goat was bucking and fighting with the other goats.
Sierra was giving her a swift tongue lashing, telling her to knock it off and be nice to the other goats.

Sister K let Sierra feed the chickens.
She thought that was fun.
The two white roosters pictured below are going to meet their demise later this week.
I want to know how to take a live bird from the farm yard to the kitchen table.
I know morbid but I want to.
Sister K is going to teach me how.
I am very excited.
Don't worry... for those of you that are intersted there will be a step-by-step tutorial posted later this week. (j/k)

SHE GOT A SHINER

Neither of us knows how, but it looks awful.

Every day it seems to grow darker in color and it looks like she got into her mom's makeup, and decided to give herself some smokey eyes... but never finished.

I asked her, "Where did you get your ouchie from?"

She smiled and said, "Mom, I don't have an ouchie."



THE SECRET GARDEN

CC and I have been reading the book the secret garden together.

I have never read the book before, but I have seen the movie. I  thought it would be a good book for us to read together.

She has loved every word of it. She always begs for another chapter. I usually give in.

We have been reading two chapters a night.

Last night, she wanted me to read a third chapter. (My voice had given out from doing all the character voices and I couldn't read another word.) She begged me to finish it tomorrow.

I said, "The whole book."

She said, "Yes, the whole book."

I told her we would see. We are only half way through. I was certain she would forget it about by morning.

She did.

She is playing with her little sister. They have played so cute this morning together. I haven't dared disrupt them and push them out door to run our errands, so I am just sitting here watching them play.



FAMILY

I went to a friend's house to be crafty.

I am crafty in some ways but not in this way.

We made letters that spelt FAMILY.

Apparently, the fisherman had a different plan for my letters.

MUD

I think children should play in mud.

They should be covered in it from head to toe.

Sierra took these little boys over to her favorite spot today.

We have been babysitting them for parts of the last two days.

She showed them how to smear mud up and down their arms and all over their legs.

She caught them bugs that hang out by the irrigation ditch.

She showed them how to make mud pies.

 

Brother Bob was concerned about MJ.

She doesn't like to participate in the same sort of play that her sister does.

Sometimes she gets anxious at the farm and won't let me put her down.

He built her a little Noah's arc set out of wood and hand painted the pieces.

She was so happy.

She spent at least a half hour sitting at this picnic table with her play pieces, arranging them and making up conversations.

UP AT THE RANCH

I left CC in Utah and Nate and I brought MJ home alone. (We were meeting up for my family's family reunion the following weekend.)

She was a very lonely only child and was far more demanding than she usually is.

She loves her CC and she kept saying how much she missed her.

I don't know how we are going to survive when CC is in school all day.

I thought about how demanding CC was right before MJ was born. Then she finally had someone to play with and distract her.

I think MJ needs a friend.

Aren't these babies the cutest thing? They are the newest addition to our family. My sister Michelle's fifth child and my brother Phillip's first. Oh, I love them.

I was eating them up at our family reunion.

I wanted to steal them both and take them home with me.

The ranch.

It is owned by my sister's husband's family.

We go up once a year to play. (I haven't been in four years.)

There is horseback riding, four-wheeling, and a pond with a zip-line and a rope swing.

There is natural wild life and a farm animals and the beautiful desert foliage.

There is movie night under the stars and a game night in front of a large stone fire place.

And most importantly it is a fisherman's dream. There is a river and several ponds.

The whole ranch sits against the back side of Bryce Canyon National Park.

The girls had so much fun. 

It was CC's birthday at the same time.

I decided to do a little party for all of the kids.

We had a tea party.

I made all the girls pinafores and necklaces.

I bought a china set at the thrift store along with a tea pot.

We collected wild flowers for the center of the table. (Sadly, they were wilting by the time the party started.)

I made Tyler a cape with a bow tie and a mustache so he could feel apart. He was so cute.

CC was a great host and talked to everyone in an English accent. It was beyond adorable.

Told cost of the party 10.00$. However, it was a lot of work.

China Set = $5.00

Tea Pots = $4.00

Sheet to make all the Pinafores = .99

All the children loved it.

CC's birthday wish.

Ride a horse.

Check.

Favorite Parts of the weekend.

Holding baby Lydia and baby Claire.

Watching a bug crawl across Tamara's eye as she asked, "Is there something in my eye?" Yuck!

Riding the four-wheeler all the way up into Bryce Canyon.

Playing cards with my family in front of a roaring fire.

Seeing Sierra's face as she was riding the horse and watching her afterwards talking to him and petting him.

Watching Jennifer and MJ (her name sake) riding four-wheelers together.

Watching Benji catch fish. (He would snage them by there eye ball and then release them. There are a lot of one-eyed-willy's in that pond now.)

Climbing up on the platform to use the rope swing and looking down at the drop into the cold water and being scared to death. (Yes, I did jump but it took a minute to get up the courage.)

REUNION

(Picture by Bonnie)

We took a little trip two weekends ago to Utah.

I bribbed Nate and told him if he would drive us he could go fishing in Idaho.

He did. He loved fishing in Idaho.

Maybe... someday... we may end up there or maybe we will be here forever.

Our main purpose for the trip was attending a family reunion. It was held at the Heber Valley Camp grounds.

It was beautiful up there.

The food was very yummy and I had a few good conversations with Nate's cousins.

We were suppose to spend the night but I wasn't brave enough.

We headed down and spent the night at my parent's home.